RCAmag-pilot0

Magazine


REAL - LIFE
REAL - LIFE

STAR WARS
STAR WARS



With Propel TIE FIGHTER
With Propel TIE FIGHTER

& X-WING battle drones!
& X-WING battle drones!

































INSIDE!
INSIDE!



The CAPO Jeep
The CAPO Jeep


The Ultimate In Authenticity
The Ultimate In Authenticity






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AND HOW TO PACK YOUR RC FOR AIR TRAVEL
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CAPO













JEEP




























T he Jeep Wrangler is This little beast is 24-inches long,



one of the most com-
10-inches
high,
and
10-inches
off-roaders
out
mon
wide. It has a tiny backlit dash-
seats,
working
reclining
board,
there thanks to the fact
that it is very capable
that opens. Under the hood, every
and there are so many aftermar- driveshaft, and doors and a hood
ket parts that the Wrangler is like little detail from the real Wrangler is
a blank canvas when stock. Wran- there with belts, springs, air clean-
glers aren’t cheap when new and ers, and more.
certainly aren’t cheap when used.
Even Wrangler toy Jeeps are ex- The engine bay even has a light so you
pensive like this Capo Racing RC can get a better look at all the detail.
Wrangler where every single part The toy has a 3-speed transmission,
on it works. locking diffs front and rear, and a






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transfer case that can switch into to the dirt and play. It sells for $2,300,
and out of 4×4 mode. The beast even yes, you read that right and that is

comes with jack stands. just for the main kit with RC parts not
included.
This thing can be just an incredibly
detailed and expensive tidbit to sit on
your desk, or you can cram servos and

RC gear inside and take this thing out































































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STAR










WARS














f you grew up watching Star enthusiasts, or are these just another

Wars — and let’s face it, if you’re set of mediocre Star Wars products?
50-years-old or younger, you did Read our Propel Star Wars Battle
— at one time or another you Drones review to find out if these are
Iprobably fantasized about how the drones you’re looking for.

cool it would be to fly an X-Wing, or a
TIE Fighter, or perhaps the Millennium Down is up
Falcon. These fictional vehicles are
so ingrained in our collective western Propel’s high-flying lineup consists of

culture, it’s no wonder they’ve been three Star Wars Battle Drones, which
brought to life again (and again) as sell for $179 each. Buyers can choose
models, action figures, video games, from the Star Wars 74-Z Speeder Bike,
and LEGO. Oh the LEGO! the Star Wars TIE Advanced X1, and the

Star Wars T-65 X-Wing Starfighter. Orig-
But none of these incarnations have inally there was supposed to be a Mil-
managed to combine an authentic lennium Falcon too, but currently it’s on
appearance with the ability to actually hold (apparently it’s a temperamental

fly. Spin Master came closest, but ship in real life as well as the movies).
Propel’s new Star Wars Battle Drones
have set the bar so high, it may be The drones themselves are tiny,
years before someone else even tries. featherweight models that are

The question is, did they do enough to controlled via an included 2.4Ghz
please both Star Wars fans and drone remote control. This remote also pairs






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with your smartphone over Bluetooth, But what’s really unusual about these
giving you control via the free Propel drones is that they’re inverted. Their

Star Wars Battle Drones app (iOS/ props face down, not up, which means
Android), which runs both training they’re pushed into the air rather than
simulations and live battle tracking. pulled. We don’t know if there’s any
You can fly them indoors or outdoors control or flight advantages to this

— at speeds up to 35 MPH, according layout, but we can say this: It’s the
to Propel — up to several hundred feet perfect system for preserving the look
away, and they pack both infrared and of these iconic Star Wars vehicles.
visible light emitters and receivers,

for use when battling. With no propellers visible above, and
only a tiny set of transparent props







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below, it’s a lot easier to maintain the find one that came off after a crash…
fantasy that you’re controlling a real Good thing Propel not only includes six

Star Wars ship, instead of a Star Wars replacements of each prop type, but
model that someone has wrapped also offers free replacement parts for
around the frame of a quadcopter. the first year.
Plus, bumping one of these drones into
the ceiling isn’t a problem — they will Sweating the small

happily keep pushing on that barrier stuff
until you bring them back down or the
battery dies.
he other standout aspect to these

Be warned though: those transparent drones is the incredible attention
props look great until you’re trying to Tto detail that Propel has achieved.
Our two review units, a TIE Advanced



















































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X1, and a T-65 X-Wing Starfighter, look part of the vehicle’s body when
like perfect miniature versions of the inserted. This approach eliminates
movie machines. The scale of their separate battery compartments and
features, the matte finish of the paint, covers, and helps to maintain each

the tiny patterns and details worked vehicle’s proportions. The downside
into the plastic… it’s hard to believe is that the batteries and chargers are
these things can also fly, and can in- unique to each model — you won’t be
teract with each other. able to use the X-Wing’s battery on the

TIE Fighter or vice versa.
Most RC vehicles, regardless of size or
budget, use a standard rechargeable Our one criticism is that the X-Wing’s
battery, but Propel has customized forward motors and struts are painted

the batteries for these vehicles by to match the fuselage, which changes
wrapping them in cases that become the iconic lines of the famously dart-


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wish we could use
Propel controller for

other apps too. The
app even maintains
a forced perspective,
with the virtual drone
flying away from you,

becoming smaller
as the distance
increases, just as it

shaped ship. We think these parts would in real-life. It
should have been painted a different can be a little tough to judge these
color — perhaps a dark grey — to virtual distances (hey Propel, how

maintain the look of the X-Wing. about Daydream compatible version?)
Fans who agree could probably take but this just means that if you can
matters into their own hands with the handle the sim, you’ll be much better

judicious application of model paint, in real life.
while being careful not to touch the
motors. Finicky flight


Propel’s commitment to detail goes he one thing the simulation

way beyond the actual drones. For doesn’t get right is the drone’s
Star Wars fans, the entire experience Ttendency to drift and alter its
of unboxing and using these drones is altitude on its own. When it comes

a feast for the senses. Each drone is down to actually flying these drones,
boxed in what can only be described you’re finally reminded that these are
as collector’s grade material. still toys after all. Without any GPS, or
visual positioning, or even ultrasonic
The virtual drone responds to your sensors like Parrot uses on its bottom-

commands instantly, thanks to the of-the-line AR.Drone, these Star Wars
Bluetooth connection, making us drones behave unpredictably once air-











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The Full Video Review












































borne, requiring almost constant input on the sticks to keep them in a stable hover.


The remote has both calibration and trim functions, but we found these only corrected for
massive problems with flight stability, instead of offering a good, clean hover. It will likely take

novices dozens of flights to feel a true sense of control, so expect to crash often. The included
prop guard will help, but we still managed to break it. Thankfully, the drones themselves are
way tougher than their hand-painted shells look.



Is it a deal breaker? Hardly. With no onboard cameras, perfectly stable flight isn’t needed,
and when it comes to dogfighting, it’s downright irrelevant — you won’t be stopping to admire
the scenery. Propel’s solution to the issue of flight stability is to offer three flight modes, plus
a training mode, each of which places different restrictions on vehicle speed, altitude, and

stick sensitivity.






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Rather than annoying, we
think this just adds to the

realism of dogfighting,
because it requires the
pilot to understand what
their ship can and can’t do,
and forces them to adjust

their flying accordingly
— just as any real pilot
would have to do.



Still, no matter how
you shake it, the fact of
the matter is that these
drones aren’t simple to

fly. You can absolutely
fly the Star Wars Battle
Drones indoors in small

rooms if you want — the
included safety cage is
a must for these flights
— but you’ll only get
the full experience of
In training mode, rookie pilots can get flying these ships outdoors
comfortable with the controls and are (on a very calm day) or in a large

less likely to careen their ship into indoor space, like a gymnasium.
a wall accidentally, while the most Propel recommends a minimum 100-
advanced mode enables a thrilling foot radius for flight, but bigger is
degree of speed and maneuverability. definitely better.

We found that when pushed to its limits
in this mode, the aircraft couldn’t cope
with massive and sudden changes in
direction, often tumbling out of the air

as its gyros failed to compensate for
the extreme moves.



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Big-time battles Whichever you weapon you choose,

battling is a ton of fun. The app tracks
ropel’s technology adapts to up how many times each pilot scores

to 12 Battle Drones in the same hits (or takes hits from opponents)
Pflight space, by finding available and declares a winner at the end
frequencies automatically as each of each round. You can choose how

drone/controller combo is turned on. long each round will last, but you
We only had the opportunity to test two can only suffer three hits before
drones at once, but this was enough you’re grounded for the rest of the
to see how larger battles would work. round. Getting hit results in a rumble
You can choose between two weapon from your controller, a loss of control

types — infrared or a visible, laser and wobble of your ship, sometimes
light. Which one you use depends on causing a forced landing if your
where you’re battling. altitude is too low.



In larger, outdoor area, the laser is Experienced pilots will have a huge
preferable, since it’s less likely to edge, as it can be challenging enough
be affected by ambient light, but it to get these drones to fly in the
requires greater precision. Indoors, intended direction, nevermind having

infrared works well, but in smaller them correctly oriented toward an
spaces it could bounce off walls and opponent while trying to fire at them.
reflective surfaces like windows, We were worried when we found out

mirrors, or even TV screens. To get that the batteries are only good for
the full Star Wars effect, fire up a fog about eight minutes of flight time, and
machine in your space, and you’ll that isn’t a lot when you’re learning.
actually see the laser lights.
























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PACK YOUR RC FOR FLIGHT















































A Special Thanks to Our Patreon Supporters



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YouTube videos:




Starwars feature - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eFk2MmhXdo


Starwars feature - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4GApcrPXmo


Super Scale CAPO Jeep - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrJuXoHMjQI


California Trip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1r1FzofwlQ&t=24s


California Trip Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTSgOFPcU2A






























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